The Dreamer

Chapter 1: A New Year

Brooklyn. January 16, 2005. Sunday afternoon.

"After the previous term, I expect this semester to be a sleeper."

Neal turned down a burner on the stove and looked over at Peter and El with a raised brow, daring them to say otherwise. They'd invited him over to celebrate the beginning of his second semester at Columbia University. Classes were due to begin on Tuesday.

"I wish," Peter snorted. He half-expected to see goons and cutthroats peeking out from behind Neal's apron. Neal's mischievous blue eyes smiling at him did nothing to reassure him about the semester coming up.

In the fall, despite an assortment of robberies, kidnappings, and hostage situations in addition to the routine fraud and embezzlement cases, Neal had somehow managed to attend classes, write papers, and prepare for his upcoming art exhibition in May. Peter liked to think that the frequency of gut-churning moments would be less in the new term, but he didn't want to contemplate the odds.

The kitchen remodeling project had finally been completed in December. El and Neal had often talked about cooking together, and this Sunday provided the perfect opportunity. Outside, snow was falling, but the house was filled with warmth and merriment. A hockey game was on the TV, but Peter was the only one who paid any attention to it. When he was a child, his mom used to celebrate the start of a new semester with spaghetti and meatballs. She always baked a cake so the boys could blow out the candles for good luck. Today they were going upscale with Neal in charge of the coq au vin. No cake with candles but there would still be fireworks since El was preparing crêpes Suzette. Peter was given the onerous task of chief taster.

He'd initially attempted to watch the game while eavesdropping on the constant stream of chatter going on in the other room, but he quickly abandoned hockey for the kitchen. This was the first chance for the three of them to be together since Hawaii when the Burkes and Caffreys had gathered for the marriage of Neal's aunt Noelle to Peter's brother Joe.

El stood at the stove making crêpes, but they weren't the only items being grilled. "So fill me in on the good stuff, like what's happening with Fiona? Are Aidan and Keiko still dating? Details please."

Neal grinned as he stirred the coq au vin. "Answer to Question Number One: Yes, Fiona and I are still seeing each other. Aidan and Keiko are also still together." He dipped a spoon into the pan to taste the sauce.

"Isn't that my job?" Peter protested. "It smells delicious. When can we eat?"

"Maybe another thirty minutes," Neal said. "You're reminding me I need to check on the French bread in the oven."

"All these aromas are torturing me," Peter moaned.

"Munch on a carrot stick," El said heartlessly. "Or would you prefer a celery stick?"

"I'd rather be dipping hot French bread into coq au vin," Peter muttered.

"What's the news about Angela?" El asked. Neal's cousin was scheduled to start classes at Columbia this semester. She'd graduated from the University of Washington in December and had been accepted into Columbia's PhD program in ethnomusicology. "Is she settling in okay?"

"Seems to be. She was lucky to find university housing. She's sharing an apartment on West 120th Street, not far from my studio." Neal lowered the oven temperature. "Columbia's quite a change from what Angela's used to in Seattle. I think she's feeling a little out of place. I told her she should come to our band rehearsal. That will start up again next week."

Last semester, Neal's girlfriend Fiona had started a Celtic fusion band on campus. They met on Sunday evenings. The band was composed of six of their friends at grad school plus Travis from White Collar. Some of the musicians, particularly Neal and Fiona, were already skilled performers, but a few of the members were beginners. Peter smiled when he heard Neal talk about the adjustment problems Angela might face. Last fall Neal had been the one who felt out of his element on campus.